Raymond Bushell, QSM, Te Puke
For services to wetland conservation. Mr Raymond Bushell has been actively involved, in a voluntary capacity, in wetland creation and restoration in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato areas since 1954. He has been the driving force behind the protection and restoration of the Kaituna Wildlife Management Reserve, the Bay of Plenty’s largest remaining residual wetland. He has spent many hundreds of hours clearing weeds, planting native vegetation, and trapping predators. He has been involved in school conservation projects. He has been involved in getting hunters active in conservation and wetland restoration. He is a member of the Eastern Region Fish and Game Council. He was a foundation member of the Wildfowlers Association of New Zealand. Mr Bushell formed the Maketu Community Group in 2000 to advocate for the protection of the Maketu Estuary and for improvements in water quality in the Kaituna River.